JEFFERSON CITY _ Proving once again that he supports tax increases on hard-working Missourians in order to feed his political ambitions, Jay Nixon has publicly embraced collective bargaining for public employees that could force cities and school districts to raise taxes.

Nixon admitted to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in today’s editions that he supports the Missouri Supreme Court ruling allowing collective bargaining for public officials, a move that will likely result in higher costs for local governments and translate into higher taxes.

“It should come as no surprise that Jay Nixon would support this activist Supreme Court decision because he has consistently and shamelessly supported tax increases on hard-working Missourians,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “Nixon obviously supports the rights of activist judges to tax Missourians and is actively backing a political ally that pushed this issue in court. Nixon’s lack of concern for the hard-working taxpayers of this state is shameful.”

The appeal that led to the Supreme Court decision was sought by the Missouri chapter of the National Education Association which is expected to publicly endorse Nixon and contribute heavily to his campaign. The group also supports an unnecessary $1.3 billion tax increase through a school funding lawsuit that Nixon is supposedly defending.

Meanwhile, Nixon consistently refused to take a stand on a Missouri House resolution that would prevent judges from imposing tax increases on hard-working Missourians and has publicly called for a $1 billion tax increase to fund the old, bloated and broken Medicaid system.

“Nixon’s political ambition has clearly blinded him to the fact that Missourians have repeatedly rejected tax increases,” Sloca said. “Those same Missouri taxpayers are now ready to reject Nixon’s devastating proposals for billions of dollars in new taxes.”